Thrive: Year One

Posted more than a year ago.

We're rolling out Thrive in stages. After all, one of our guiding principles with this campaign is staying agile and relevant in our strategy. That means that what you see right now on the front page is only Year One of our three year effort.

Here's Year One in a nutshell:

June 1, 2014 - May 31, 2015

$12,650,000

14 Projects (+ Annual General Scholarship)

I've also posted some helpful FAQs on Year One on another blog entry, but here they are again for your easy reading. Thanks!

-Will

How did we select the Year One projects?

The Thrive: Year One project menu is based on feedback from the pre-campaign study, annual program review and analysis conducted by the OC employee family, early results from OC's Strategic Enrollment Planning process, market research, and Team One discussions. Projects selected for this first year are intended to lay the groundwork – in terms of facilities, program resources, and personnel – for initiatives certain to be rolled out after the Strategic Enrollment Plan (SEP) is complete.

(PS - The Strategic Enrollment Plan is a campus-wide, holistic study of OC's programs, practices, policies, and planning processes related to achieving optimal recruitment, retention, and graduation rates. In short, it aims to answer the question: "What can we do campus-wide to maximize the number of students having a full, rich OC experience and maximize the number of students excelling in that experience?")

What is the strategic relevance of the Year One projects?

Studies show that engineering, business, and the health sciences are all strength areas for the University. Moreover, they represent market-driven fields primed for growth, which should result in more significant return on investment for OC and our students.

Our spiritual life on campus, and its expression off campus, is a major part of what sets us apart as an institution. Investment in Ethos showcases a tangible recommitment to our spiritual core. Meanwhile, the campus café reboot and OKC marketing initiative are admissions and community imperatives for the University.